NEWS FETCH — June 8, 2016

TOP NEWS

• Will politics leave California’s 2016 vintage to rot on the vine?
• Pennsylvania lawmakers vote to expand wine sales to private stores
• Profitability of lower-priced wines increasing stateside
• Constellation Brands to invest in NZ to meet US wine demand
• CA water board drops record $1.5-million drought fine
• Court of Appeal temporarily stops the close of escrow on Metropolitan’s Delta island purchase (PDF)
• U.S. Economic Confidence Index Flat in May, at -14
• This is how Charter Oak Winery doubled its production without doubling its costs *Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY

• Loire Valley’s frost loss estimates hit an average of 30%
• Gains in Malbec lost due to Argentine El Niño
• This is how you can get meaningful reporting and compliance information from your business data *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Overtime bill fails to advance in Legislature
• Santa Rosa area farmworker housing project underway
• How to Get Your Beverage Brand aboard Cruises*Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• CA Water Board Dismisses Enforcement Actions Against Byron-Bethany and The West Side Irrigation Districts
• Supreme Court deals Obama Administration a blow in Clean Water Act case
• Project for Tunnels from North to South Blocked
• Researchers see more overhead irrigation use in California’s future
• An update on the Water Storage Investment Program
• Update on State Water Project operations and issues
• Delta tunnels plan still makes zero sense
• Drought sparks larger wildfires throughout California
• Water Conservation Saves Energy in California
• California Tribes Push Back on Water Issues

DIRECT SHIPPING & PRIVATIZATION

• Pennsylvania may be on the verge of allowing direct wine shipping

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Tapping The Whiskey Boom, Brown-Forman Sees U.S. Sales Rise By 6% In Full-Year Results
• Sainsbury’s Q1 sales slide following the phasing out of multi-buy deals

FINANCE, M&A

• Alibaba billionaire Jack Ma buys next Bordeaux château
• Southold Farm + Cellar Moving to Texas, Farmhouse, Winery Up for Sale (NY)
• Investors in French Wineries Are Paid Back in Wine

DISTRIBUTORS

• Are You Really Ready To Pitch A Distributor: Here’s the Checklist *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• “Vivid and powerful” Haut Bailly 2015 released
• Bordeaux 2015: the increases are increasing
• Palmer 2015 released: up with 2010
• DRC steals the show at Zachys auction
• Mouton and Cheval top Martin’s ‘06 scores
• Cellar Watch June 2016 Market Report released

HEALTH

• High-fat Mediterranean diet does not cause weight gain

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Wine privatization bill generates no new revenue while destroying revenue-generating PLCB
• Sunday morning sale of alcohol stumbles in NY state Assembly

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Wine Critics – Everything Old Is New Again
• Are You Really a Critic?
• Into the tall weeds of the critic: Kramer and being “captious”
• Why is there no red Champagne?

MARKETING & SALES

• What the $9 Divide in Wine Sales Means

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Announcing Sasha Strauss As Keynote Speaker at DIRECT
• Top Ten Tips For a Successful Brand Launch *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Snapchat user growth will see it overtake Twitter and Pinterest by the end of 2016
• 5 Ways to Transform Your Blog and Become a Digital Influencer

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• 5 Wine Careers to Consider with a Wine Certification
• 3 Ways to Encourage Employees to Keep Learning
• These foolproof tips from LinkedIn will help you land your dream job

MEDIA MATTERS

• Happy 5th Blogiversary, The Academic Wino!

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Pope Francis: Want to celebrate well? Drink wine.
• Volcanic wine impossible to define
• The White Wine Dilemma: How Much Acidity Is Too Much
• What Is Terroir?

WINE PEOPLE

• Proust Q&A: Laurent Delaunay, Badet Clément
• Amelia Ceja: From farmworker to president of Ceja Vineyards (podcast)
• Alex Sanchez of the Brovia Winery (podcast)

WINE PLACES

• Six Great Wine Trips That Are Cheaper Than Napa Valley
• Kentucky: First At American Commercial Wine

WINE EDUCATION

• When Wine Education Matters & Who Are Its Preeminent Leaders?

WINE TOURISM

• Agritourism brings valuable chance for interaction

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Insect Pest Hits Southeastern Berry Growers Hard

EUROPE & THE UK

• Alcoholic beverages may be missing an opportunity with UK consumers
• Māori wine: Indigenous culture conquering the world with non-indigenous grapes
• Single Vineyard Expressions in Barolo
• Archaeological Dig Confirms Georgia’s Wine Heritage

DOWN UNDER

• Barossa loses a favourite son
• OZ: The climate is ripe for some workable wine policy
• Australia’s Mediterranean varieties driving next cycle of interest in UK

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• China sets high winery sights

SOUTH AFRICA

• South African wine needs a fair price both here and abroad but is it possible?

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• New startup Delicate Estates introduces sardonic sympathy cards you can stick on wine bottles
• Remove a cork from inside a wine bottle with cable ties
• Ancient Alcohol Aficionados
• Wine Stuff, Rediscovered

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS – A Sampling of Today’s Headlines

• It’s a great time to be a craft brewer—just not in Georgia
• Pennsylvania lawmakers vote to expand wine sales to private stores
• What is trade dress? And why is it an important trademark opportunity for brewers?
• What you risk reveals what you value
• Craft Brew adds to rally since outlining severance pay policy
• Everything Revolves Around Quality Control

Get the rest of today’s craft news at Craft Beverage Insights